Ruben Amorim told the glaring Man Utd issues he must prioritise after Ipswich Town draw

Welcome to Manchester, then, Ruben Amorim.

If the highly-rated Portuguese coach was under any illusions about the task ahead of him, then Sunday's 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town will have shattered them.

The result leaves United in 12th-place in the Premier League. They are only six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, though, which proves that Amorim can still salvage the season. But where do you start with a problem like Manchester United, who have fallen short of all expectations so far this season.

There are plenty of issues which have been highlighted in recent weeks, so we asked the Mirror Football team what the biggest issue Amorim has to solve is...

John Cross

What is the biggest thing that Amorim needs to fix? The midfield. On the one hand, you have to admire Ruben Amorim for sticking to his principles and believing in his style of football and, in particular, his 3-4-3 system.

But, come on. Who honestly thinks Casemiro and Cristian Eriksen are suited to that formation? They are ageing, they do not have the legs and United’s deficiencies were so obvious at Ipswich: the midfield.

Furthermore, what is Bruno Fernandes’ role in this team? If you are looking for two wide attackers and a focal point in attack then where does the United captain fit in?

So, on the other hand, you could argue that Amorim being so wedded to a system which does not suit his players is actually a weakness and shows his inflexibility. Yes, there are players to come back. Like Kobbie Mainoo and a fully fit Manuel Ugarte. It will be interesting to see where Lisandro Martinez ends up playing.

But at the moment, United simply do not have a midfield to make Amorim’s system work.

Image: AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images)

Jeremy Cross

Midfield: All games are won and lost in this area of the pitch, and United ran out of steam at Ipswich when it came to having a foothold in the game.

Ruben Amorim has a clear plan, which is positive news, but not the players to execute it. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are in the twilight of their careers, while summer signing Manuel Ugarte is not good enough to succeed with United.

Whatever funds Amorim is given next summer, he needs to invest most of them in world class midfielders capable of performing to the levels he expects.

David Anderson

Sunday just reinforced the scale of the task facing Ruben Amorim and reviving Manchester United is like trying to turn around a supertanker with a paddle.

It’s clear that many players are either too old or can’t adapt to his 3-4-3 formation, but he is adamant this is how he wants them to play. It will take at least nine months and until the start of next season for him to begin to make inroads, but in the meantime, the biggest issue facing him is United’s lack of goals. They have scored just 13 in their 12 Premier League games and have a goal difference of zero.

Playing Marcus Rashford centrally offered some hope and he bagged his fifth goal of the season to get Amorim’s reign off to a flying start after just 81 seconds. That could be the way forward and Rashford has been anonymous on the left, while Rasmus Hojlund is badly out of form.

Good luck with getting anything out of Joshua Zirkzee and the Dutchman needs a lot of work and time. A bit like United then.

Image: Zohaib Alam/Manchester United FC) Zohaib Alam/Manchester United FC)

Scott Trotter

After his first match in charge Ruben Amorim will have learned even more about what he needs to fix at Manchester United. The Portuguese coach could be forgiven for thinking that settling into the Premier League was light work when his new formation sparked a goal within 90 seconds against Ipswich but he was brought firmly back down to earth.

Amorim's priority must be to find goals from his United side. The Red Devils have scored 13 goals and conceded 13 in 12 matches. While there are defensive deficiencies, one of those is more problematic than the other.

Marcus Rashford showed a clinical edge with his strike on Sunday but that was his only touch in the opposition area. There are probably a mass of technical and positional problems to solve to facilitate it but ultimately goals win games and that is what Amorim will be judged upon.

Talk of landing Viktor Gyokeres in the future is rife but Amorim will first have to find success with Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee.

Tom Victor

Ruben Amorim is under no illusions about the attention he finds himself under at Old Trafford, and the early signs suggest he recognises the first thing he needs to fix is off the pitch.

A heavy ex-United presence in TV coverage means the team will never be fully out of the spotlight, but Erik ten Hag struggled with media management. Amorim already seems aware that United aren’t the same as other clubs - even big ones - in terms of the scrutiny they’re under.

Amorim wants to focus less on batting away questions and more on coaching his team, after claiming he has spoken more in his current role than during his four years in Lisbon with Sporting. The less-is-more approach something that notably suited Mauricio Pochettino well when he first arrived in England, albeit at clubs with smaller profiles than the 13-time Premier League winners

It appears United’s head coach has identified the scale of his task when it comes to squad-building and getting players used to his system. The most important thing for him to do is not get baited into playing other people’s games, and we’ll soon see whether he can stay true to his word.

Image: AP) AP)

Dan Marsh

Goals win football matches, so Ruben Amorim needs to concoct a formula to get the best out of what he has at his disposal.

Unfortunately for him, the raw ingredients available to him are not as adequate as Manchester United's immediate rivals who will also fancy their chances of finishing the season in the upper echelons of the Premier League table.

But he'll have to find a way to improve on United's paltry return of 13 league goals so far this term given United won't be able to splash the cash in January. Given his reputation for improving players, perhaps that means all is not lost.

At the end of the day, though, Amorim needs transfer windows to turn this flagging ship around. And that effectively means that United will be treading water until 2025 based off what we've seen over the past few months and under his predecessor, Erik ten Hag.

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